GSA Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA)

The GSA National Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA) provides guidance on legislative and regulatory issues regarding the types, availability, and delivery of financial assistance, both loan and scholarship, to medical students.

Committee Charge
Message from the Chair
Member Resources
Financial Aid Officer Calendar
COSFA Committee Roster

Committee Charge

The mission of COSFA is to provide guidance on legislative and regulatory issues regarding type, availability, and delivery of financial assistance to medical students. COSFA achieves its mission through:

Receipt of regular reports from the Association staff on the status of specific financial aid legislation and national Association data describing the distribution of financial aid to medical students.
Consideration of educational and support programs and activities to assist schools in counseling medical students regarding the financing of their medical education and the repayment of student loans.
Assist with the development of topics for AAMC/GSA conferences and learning opportunities, including webinars.
Identification of special projects related to issues of national importance and interest.
Participation in GSA Professional Development Conferences and other AAMC/GSA learning opportunities.

Message from the Chair

It is my honor to serve the national medical school financial aid community and the AAMC as the Chair of the Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA). COSFA is one of the five national committees of the Group on Student Affairs (GSA) who are advisory to the GSA Steering Committee and AAMC. Our committee is comprised of the COSFA Chair, four regional representatives, an Organization of Student Representative (OSR) Liaison, Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) representative, a Committee on Student Records (COSR) Liaison, and the GSA National Chair.

The mission of COSFA is to provide guidance to our members and others on legislative and regulatory issues regarding the type, availability, and delivery of financial assistance to medical students. COSFA achieves its mission through:

Reviewing reports from AAMC staff on the status of specific financial aid legislation and national AAMC data describing the distribution of financial aid to medical students.
Assessing educational and support programs and activities to assist schools in counseling students about financing their medical education and the repayment of student loans.
Collaborating with the AAMC’s FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) team as well as other GSA committees.
Identifying special projects related to issues of national importance and interest.
Participating in Professional Development Conferences.

On behalf of my fellow COSFA members we would like to thank the outgoing members for their contributions to the committee: Wendy Clark, Dr. Donna Jackson, Dr. Kathleen Kashima, Rich Ronnestad and Casey Wiley. We would also like to welcome our new committee members, Dr. Alberto Diaz, Jessica Le Duc, Dr. Hilit Mechaber, Dr. Ranna Nash, and LaShaundria Thomas.

The COSFA committee will look forward to continuing the work of our previous COSFA chairs and representatives. I encourage you to get involved by participating in our community calls, attending the AAMC regional meetings and national professional development conference. Your ideas and suggestions will help achieve the committee goals and advance our efforts.

Best,

Cynthia R. Gonzalez (she/her/hers)
Senior Assistant Director Financial Aid
Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine

Member Resources

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Financial Aid Officer Calendar

The “Financial Aid Officer Calendar (Excel)" outlines key financial aid officer activities and responsibilities throughout the year. Developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA), the reference calendar is not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of financial aid officer duties, as priorities and tasks can vary. Please utilize this online format to add your own key dates and deadlines.

COSFA Committee Roster

Chair

Cynthia Gonzalez
Senior Assistant Director FSM MD Financial Aid
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
November 2021 - November 2024

GSA National Chair

Marcy Verduin, MD
Associate Dean for Students and Professor of Psychiatry
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
November 2023 - November 2024

Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) Representative

Ranna Nash, PhD
Assistant Dean for Student Development
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
November 2022 - November 2025

Committee on Student Records (COSR) Representative

Celeste Fowles Nguyen, EdD
Registrar and Associate Director, Academic Operations
Stanford University School of Medicine
November 2023 - November 2026

Committee on Student Records (COSR) Liaison to COSFA

Chasity Hawkins, MEd, MBA
Associate Director, Financial Planning & Registrar Services
University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine
November 2023 - November 2025

Central Region (CGSA) Representative

John Stiles, MEd
Office of Student Financial Services
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
March 2022 - November 2024

Northeast Region (NEGSA) Representative

Michael Sabara, MEd
Director of Financial Services
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
November 2021 - November 2024

Southern Region (SGSA) Representative

Doug Stupec, MPA, FAAC
Associate Director, Medical Student Financial Aid and Student Records
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University
November 2023 - November 2026

Western Region (WGSA) Representative

Jessica R Le Duc, MS
Director of Financial Aid
The University of Arizona
College of Medicine -Tucson
November 2022 - November 2024

AAMC Staff Liaison

Irena Tartakovsky, MD, MS
Director, Constituent Engagement

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